Musicians from abroad come to their artistic homeland

SIMFEROPOL. The festival participants are young but already renowned musicians from the US, Russia, and Ukraine. The opening took place at the “Crimea” Balneology and Rehabilitation Center in the seaside town of Partenit. Performances and concerts were also held in Alushta and Yalta.

Most of the festival members are graduates from Crimean music schools. Their artistic careers caused them to move to other regions and countries, but they have always loved their homeland.

The Pchelintsev Music School in Partenit has brought up many talents. The daughter of the school’s founder, Olha Pchelintseva, also graduated from it. She has won multiple international competitions and is now teaching at the Saint Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy. The singer maintains an active concert schedule. Pchelintseva was accompanied by her husband, Vsevolod Bogatyriov, senior lecturer at Saint Petersburg Theatre Arts Academy, visiting professor at the Yeungnam University (South Korea), chief director at the Saint Petersburg Choir Theater. He also tours the world, and he recorded his solo concerts in Belgium and Finland.

Tetiana Porshnieva (assistant concertmaster at the Russian National Orchestra under the direction of Mikhail Pletnev, art director of the National Orchestra String Quartet, teacher at the Moscow State Conservatory), who was born in Yevpatoria, was also invited to participate in the event.

“I am so glad that such a festival has been organized! I grew up in Yevpatoria, and then studied in Simferopol. When I was 14, we moved to Moscow, and the links with Crimea were broken. And then Ivan Koniev [Crimea Classic Fest mastermind. – Ed.] invited me to take part in the forum. Crimea is my homeland. I had a wonderful teacher here, Petro Kirov. He brought up a whole generation of renowned musicians,” said Tetiana PORSHNIEVA. She mentioned the thriving of the Partenit Music School, where nearly 600 students are studying at present.

Today the Partenit Music School is led by Mykola Koniev, who is also the current mayor of Partenit. His son Ivan devoted his life to music. He is a laureate of numerous international contests, professor at the Hamline University and Saint Paul Conservatory (US), Doctor of Musical Arts, and also initiator and art director of the Crimea Classic Fest.

“We promote classical music in the form of chamber ensemble and chamber music. Such genres as operetta and opera are also included in the program,” emphasized Ivan KONIEV. “In the future we would like to add ethnic music to the festival agenda. Crimean folk music is a very promising project. We plan to expand the festival’s geography and play concerts across Crimea.

Young soloists Ksenia Danchuk and Alina Mishchenko performed at the festival opening.

“The music school for children can boast of first-rate faculty, nearly 65 percent of staff have university degrees,” emphasized Anatolii MENDUS, the organizer of the festival. “Recently our students came back from a European tour: Budapest – Graz – Paris – Marseilles – Barcelona – Granada – Monaco – Nice – Vienna. Our school might well be called a children’s philharmonic.”

Several events have already taken place in the framework of the Crimea Classic Fest: the concert “Young for young,” the performance of soloists and musicians of the children’s chamber orchestra The Partenit Virtuosos at the International Children’s Center Artek and at children’s health centers on the Southern Coast. Thus, the Chamber Masterpieces included well-known pieces of music (this concert was held at the Zoloty Kolos sanatorium in Alushta), whereas at Classical Hits the public could enjoy the most popular classical pieces, united by the common theme “Evening Music at Aivazovske.”

The closing took place at the Anton Chekhov Theater in Yalta, featuring a specially invited guest star, the famous pianist Yevgeny Brakhman from Russia, and the symphony orchestra of the Crimean State Philharmonic Society, conducted by Ihor Kazhdan.